Metal pallet

ABSTRACT

A metal pallet includes a first deck subassembly, first and second bumpers, and a plurality of risers. The first deck subassembly includes a plurality of deck boards. The first bumper connects to at least one of the deck boards along a first peripheral edge of the first deck subassembly. The second bumper connects to at least one of the deck boards along a second peripheral edge of the first deck subassembly. The first peripheral edge is oriented approximately normal to the second peripheral edge. The plurality of risers connects to the first deck subassembly for spacing the first deck subassembly above an associated surface upon which the pallet rests. A second deck subassembly can also be employed.

This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 11/410,365, filed Apr. 24, 2006, which is incorporated herein.

BACKGROUND

Conventionally, pallets have been made from wood. Wood pallets are heavyand subject to warpage, splintering and splitting. Furthermore, woodpallets are not fireproof. To overcome the disadvantages found in woodpallets, pallets have also been made from plastic. Plastic palletsrequire a large amount of resin to be made so that they are ofsufficient strength to support freight and goods. Furthermore, plasticpallets are also not fireproof.

Metal pallets have been made to overcome the shortcomings of wood andplastic pallets. Known metal pallets are manufactured as welded metalsections, as metal pipe constructions or as deep-drawn components inmetal sections. Metal pallets that are manufactured as welded metalsections are often damaged by pallet handling equipment and/or by themovement of freight onto and off of the metal pallet. Typically, knownmetal pallets that are manufactured as welded metal sections do notabsorb the impact energy that can be delivered by pallet handlingequipment, such as the forks of a conventional forklift as the equipmentcontacts the pallet. Additionally, the welded metal sections, upon whichthe freight that is being transported by the pallet rests, are prone todamage during the loading and unloading of freight onto and off of themetal pallet.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a metal pallet that overcomesthe disadvantages of both wood and plastic pallets. Furthermore, it isdesirable to provide a metal pallet that overcomes the disadvantages ofknown metal pallets and provides benefits not found in currentlyavailable metal pallets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

According to an embodiment, a metal pallet includes a first decksubassembly, first and second bumpers, and a plurality of risers. Thefirst deck subassembly includes a plurality of deck boards. The firstbumper connects to at least one of the deck boards along a firstperipheral edge of the first deck subassembly. The second bumperconnects to at least one of the deck boards along a second peripheraledge of the first deck subassembly. The first peripheral edge isoriented approximately normal to the second peripheral edge. Theplurality of risers connects to the first deck subassembly for spacingthe first deck subassembly above an associated surface upon which thepallet rests.

According to another embodiment, a metal pallet includes a first decksubassembly, a second deck subassembly, and a riser connecting the firstdeck subassembly to the second deck subassembly. The second decksubassembly includes a first member that includes a tongue and a secondmember which includes a slot that receives the tongue. The first memberis disposed at an orientation other than parallel to the second member.The first deck subassembly is spaced from the second deck subassembly adistance sufficient to define an opening which allows forks of anassociated conventional forklift to fit between the first decksubassembly and the second deck subassembly.

According to another embodiment, a metal pallet includes a first deck, asecond deck spaced from the first deck along a first dimension, a riserconnecting the first deck to the second deck to form a polygonalstructure, and a bumper system connected to a peripheral edge of thepolygonal structure. The bumper system is positioned to allow for entryof forks of an associated forklift device between the first deck and thesecond deck on all sides of the polygonal structure and to allow forselective contact of the associated device with the bumper system whenthe forks of the associated device are disposed between the decks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is top perspective view of a metal pallet according to oneembodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an upper deck subassembly ofthe metal pallet of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an assembled view of the upper deck subassembly of FIG. 2 withbumpers exploded away from the upper deck subassembly;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side elevational view of a first side of the metalpallet of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an exploded bottom perspective view of a lower decksubassembly of the metal pallet of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side elevational view of a upper deck supportboard of the lower deck subassembly of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view showing a lower surface, i.e. asurface that typically rests against the ground, of the upper decksupport board depicted in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a lower surface of a width board of thelower deck subassembly depicted in FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a greatly enlarged perspective view of a riser for the metalpallet depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is an assembled top plan view of the lower deck subassemblydepicted in FIG. 5;

FIG. 11 is a side elevation view of an alternative embodiment of aportion of a bumper system of a metal pallet according to the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 12 is an end view of a bumper attached to a deck board of a metalpallet according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a further alternative embodiment of a bumper and a deck boardfor a metal pallet according to the present disclosure; and,

FIG. 14 is an end view of an alternative bumper assembly having aresilient material mounted to the bumper.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to FIG. 1, an embodiment of a metal pallet 10 includes afirst deck subassembly 12 that is connected to a second deck subassembly14. One manner in which the two subassemblies can be connected will bedescribed in more detail below. For ease of understanding the figures,the first deck subassembly 12 may also be referred to as the upper decksubassembly and the second deck subassembly 14 may be referred to as thelower deck subassembly. These directional terms are used for theconvenience of the reader and are not meant to be limiting to theorientation of components with respect to one another. Moreover,throughout the description the orientation of components may be referredto using the term “width” being the shorter of the two rectangulardimensions and the term “length” being the longer of two rectangulardimensions. This should not be taken to mean that “width” parts couldnot be oriented in the longer rectangular dimension, or that “length”parts could not be oriented in the shorter rectangular dimension, or,for that matter that the pallet cannot be laid out with equal length andwidth dimensions. In other words, the pallet could be square if desired.

The metal pallet 10 is designed to be handled by pallet handlingequipment, such as a conventional forklift truck or manual or poweredfloor pallet jacks. In the depicted embodiment, the upper decksubassembly 12 is spaced from the lower deck subassembly 14 toaccommodate forks of the conventional pallet handling equipment. In anembodiment that does not include the lower deck subassembly, the upperdeck subassembly can be spaced from a support surface, e.g. groundsurface, upon which the pallet rests, and be spaced from that surface adistance great enough to allow for the entry of forks. In the depictedembodiment, the pallet 10 has a generally rectangular configuration andcould be square. It is designed to allow 4-way access for the pallethandling equipment. It should be recognized, however, that the pallet 10can take other polygonal configurations, such as hexagonal, etc.

The upper deck subassembly 12 includes a plurality of deck boards, whichin the depicted embodiment will be referred to as upper deck supportboards that run generally parallel to a greater dimension of the upperdeck subassembly and upper deck boards that run generally parallel to asmaller dimension of the upper deck subassembly. In the depictedembodiment, the boards are made from formed metal sheets; however, theboards can be made in other manners and be made from other knownmaterials, such as composites, etc.

With reference to FIG. 2, the upper deck subassembly 12 includes outsideupper deck boards 30 that are disposed at opposite ends of upper decksupport boards 32. A plurality of inside or intermediate upper deckboards 34 are also attached to the upper deck support boards 32 and areinterposed between the outside upper deck boards 30.

The outside upper deck boards 30 each include a box formed outer lateraledge 36 disposed along an outer lateral edge of the first decksubassembly 12. The boxed lateral edge 36 strengthens the outside upperdeck board 30 and stiffens the edge of the pallet 10. Each outside upperdeck board 30 also includes a corrugation 38 that stiffens and dividesthe deck board so that it includes first contact surface 42 and a secondcontact surface 44 disposed on opposite sides of the corrugation 38.While the corrugation 38 is shown as being centrally positioned, itshould be appreciated that the corrugation can readily be disposed atother locations on the upper deck board 30. Thus, the first and secondcontact surfaces can be of different widths. Moreover, while thecorrugation is shown in this embodiment as being rectangular, it couldtake other forms as well. Also more than one corrugation could beprovided if desired. The contact surfaces 42 and 44 can reside in thesame plane (see FIG. 4). A connection flange 46 extends outwardly froman inner lateral edge of each outside upper deck board 30 opposite theboxed end 36. The connection flange 46 and the lower surface of thecorrugation 38 contact the upper deck support boards 32 so that theoutside upper deck boards 30 can connect to the upper deck supportboards 32 via a resistance weld, or another known manner of connection.The number of welds can vary, depending on application requirements.

Each inside upper deck board 34 includes a corrugation 52 that divideseach inside upper deck board into a first contact surface 54 on a firstside of the corrugation 52 and a second contact surface 56 on anopposite side of the corrugation. While the corrugation is shown asbeing centrally located in this embodiment, it does not have to be sopositioned. Thus, the first and second contact surfaces can be ofdifferent widths. Moreover, the corrugation can take otherconfigurations, for example rounded or curved. The contact surfaces 54and 56 of the inside upper deck boards 34 reside in the same plane asthe contact surfaces 42 and 44 of the outside upper deck boards 30 todefine a flat surface upon which freight can be loaded. Each insideupper deck board 34 also includes connection flanges 58 at oppositelateral edges for facilitating attachment of the intermediate width deckboards 34 to the length deck boards 32. With reference again to FIG. 1,in the depicted embodiment, the width boards 30 and 34 are groupedtogether in pairs such that a space, which can also be referred to as aslot, is disposed between adjacent pairs of width boards. Such a designprovides an adequate contact area on the upper deck 12 needed to supportmultiple smaller items similar to conventional wood pallets that themetal pallet 10 is designed to replace. The slots between adjacent pairsof width boards are small enough so that smaller packages do not fallthrough the openings in the upper deck assembly. On the other hand, thewidth board spacing is designed to provide adequate strength anddurability to the pallet 10 without utilizing too much material.

In the depicted embodiment, the upper deck upper deck support boards 32are all in the same configuration. But, different configurations couldbe used if desired. With continued reference to FIG. 2, each upper decksupport board 32 includes first and second lateral boxed ends 64 and acorrugation 66. The corrugation 66 stiffens and divides the upper decksupport boards into two contact surfaces 68 and 72, respectively. Eventhough the corrugation is shown to be centrally located in the upperdeck support board, it can be located elsewhere such that the twocontact surfaces can be of different widths. The corrugation can takeother configurations than that which is shown. In the depictedembodiment, the contact surfaces 68 and 72 of the upper deck supportboards 32 reside all in the same plane and this plane is parallel to aplane in which the contact surfaces 42 and 44 of the outside upper deckboards 30 and the contact surfaces 54 and 56 of the inside upper deckboards 34 reside.

In the depicted embodiment, the pallet 10 includes a bumper systemaround the perimeter of the upper deck assembly 12. The bumper systemworks in conjunction with risers (which connect the upper deck assembly12 to the lower deck subassembly 14 and will be described in more detailbelow) upper deck support boards and outer and inner upper deck boardsto improve impact resistance and absorb pallet handling equipment impactenergy, by transferring the impact energy to other components in thepallet. The bumper system can also increase resistance to static loaddeflection, so that the pallet 10 can maintain substantially planarcontact surfaces, i.e. loading surfaces, throughout its life andaccommodate greater loads safely. With reference to FIG. 3, the bumpersystem of the depicted embodiment includes two length bumpers 80 thatattach to opposite lengthwise sides of the upper deck assembly 12 andtwo width bumpers 82 that attach to opposite widthwise sides of theupper deck assembly 12. In the depicted embodiment, the length bumpers80 are disposed perpendicular to the width bumpers 82.

Where the upper deck assembly 12 or the pallet 10 takes an alternativepolygonal configuration, the bumpers can take alternative configurationsand be disposed at angles other than perpendicular to one another. Inthe depicted embodiment, once the bumpers 80 and 82 are attached to theupper deck assembly 12, substantially the entire perimeter of the upperdeck assembly 12 is surrounded by the bumper system. Such aconfiguration allows the bumper system to absorb impact energy from apallet handling device from any side of the pallet 10 and to transferthat energy into other components of the pallet.

In the depicted embodiment, the length bumpers 80 include a plurality oftabs 84 that are configured to be received in the space defined betweena lateral edge and the central corrugation 38 or 52 of a respectiveupper deck width board (either end board 30 or intermediate board 34).As more clearly seen in FIG. 1, the tabs 84 (depicted in phantom)contact a lower surface of a respective width board. The tabs areresistance welded to the bottom faces of the upper deck boards. Ifdesired, attachment can be made in other known manners. Each tab 84extends generally perpendicular from a vertical leg 86 (as per theorientation in FIG. 3) of the length bumper 80. Accordingly, each tabresides in a plane that is generally parallel to the contact surfaces42, 44, 54, and 56 and thus the lower surfaces of the respective boards30 and 34 to which the tabs attach. A lower flange 88 also extendsperpendicularly from the vertical leg 86 of the length bumper 80. Thelower flange 88 attaches to a lower surface of one of the boxed ends 64of a respective upper deck support board 32 of the upper deck assembly12. Openings 90 in the lower flange 88 can receive material depositedfrom a MIG welding operation, or the like, to attach the lower flange toa lower surface of the boxed end 64.

The attachment of the width bumper 82 will now be described in moredetail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 12. The width bumper 82 includes arectangular channel 92 that is dimensioned to receive the box-shaped end36 of an outside upper deck board 30 of the upper deck subassembly 12.An integral flange 94 extends outwardly from the portion of the widthbumper 82 that defines the channel 92. The flange 94 resides in a planethat is parallel to a lower surface of the outside upper deck board 30to allow for connection via a resistance weld between the width bumper82 and the outside upper deck board 30. If desired, the width bumpers 82can also include a plurality of openings 96 (only visible in FIG. 3).The openings 96 can be provided so that a MIG weld can be used to attachthe width bumpers 82 to the upper deck assembly 12 and to the risers(described below). In this embodiment, the width bumper 82 is made of aheavier gauge of metal than is the gauge of metal from which the outsideupper deck board 30 is made. As a result, the pallet is stiffened andbecomes more resistant to impact by handling equipment.

With reference to FIG. 5, the lower deck subassembly 14 also includes aplurality of deck boards. More particularly, the lower deck subassembly14 includes lower deck tab boards 110 that connect to lower deck slotboards 112. In the depicted embodiment, the lower tab boards 110 eachhave the same configuration. With reference to FIG. 6, the lower decktab boards 110 are symmetrical with respect to two perpendicular axesand include polygonal rolled edges 114 and a corrugation 118. Thecorrugation 118 stiffens and divides the lower deck support board 110 soas to define contact surfaces 122 and 124 that typically rest on asurface upon which the pallet 10 will rest, for example the floor of awarehouse, the bed of a truck or the contact surface of another palletdisposed beneath the subject pallet. The corrugation 118 is shown ascentrally located, but this is not required. The lower contact surfaces122,124 reside in the same plane. They are also generally parallel tothe upper contact surfaces that were described with reference to theupper deck subassembly 12.

The lower deck tab boards 110 of the lower deck subassembly 14 alsoinclude a plurality of tongues 126 that extend from widthwise ends ofthe lower deck tab board to facilitate loose interconnection of thecomponents of the lower deck subassembly 14. In the depicted embodiment,two tongues 126 extend from each end of the lower deck tab board 110,one on each side of the corrugation 118. Each tongue 126 includes araised lip 128. The raised lip 128 resides in a plane that is generallyparallel to the contact surface 122.

With reference to FIG. 5, the lower deck slot boards 112 each have asimilar configuration. With reference to FIG. 8, similar to the lowerdeck tab boards 110, the lower deck slot boards 112 each includepolygonal rolled ends 152 and a corrugation 156. The corrugation 156stiffens and divides the lower deck width board 112 in a manner toprovide a first lower contact surface 158 on a first side of thecorrugation 156 and a second lower contact surface 162 on an oppositeside of the corrugation 156. Again, the corrugation 156 need not becentrally located. The lower contact surfaces 158,162 of the lower deckslot board 112 reside generally in the same plane as the lower contactsurfaces 122,124 of the lower deck tab board 110 being separated by onlyone material thickness. The lower deck slot board 112 also includes aplurality of slots 164 that are configured to receive the tongues 126 ofthe lower deck tab boards 110. The raised lip 128 extends through theslot 164 in the lower deck slot board. This serves two main purposes.The first is a loose fixturing/indexing of the pieces. The secondpurpose is to keep the end of the raised lip in place where it cannot beeasily snagged on the floor when the pallet is pushed across or slidesacross a floor without being lifted.

With reference to FIG. 10, the lower deck subassembly 14 can be looselyassembled by inserting the tongues 126 (only lip 128 of tongue beingvisible in FIG. 10) into the slots 164 so that the lips protrudeoutwardly from the polygonal rolled end 152 allowing for space for aresistance weld or other means of connection between the lips and theupper surface of the lower deck slot board 112. When assembled, thelower deck slot boards 112 are situated perpendicular to the lower decktab boards 110 and one slot board is attached at each end of the lowerdeck tab board.

Use of both slot and tab boards for the lower deck subassembly 14provides an increase in strength (as compared to having lower deckboards that only run in one direction) and reduced deflection across thewidth of the pallet during static loading. When stacking loaded pallets10 on top of each other, the lower deck boards in the depictedembodiment also reduce pressure exerted on the load below by increasingsurface contact area. Further, having lower deck boards that attach toone another at right angles increases the stability of the pallet 10during handling when forks are inserted through a short side and whenloaded pallets placed on top of each other are offset from each other.

With reference back to FIG. 1, a plurality of risers is provided toattach the upper deck subassembly 12 to the lower deck subassembly 14.As seen in FIGS. 1 and 4, the risers are appropriately spaced from oneanother to define fork lift receptacles 170 on all four sides of thepallet 10. In the depicted embodiment, each of the risers is formed froma one-piece stamped piece of metal to allow each riser to be produced inan economical manner. Regarding the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1, fivedifferent configurations of risers are provided to attach the first decksubassembly 12 to the second deck subassembly 14. First corner risers172 are disposed on opposite diagonal corners of the pallet 10 andsecond corner risers 174 (only one visible in FIG. 1) are disposed onthe other corners of the pallet 10. In this embodiment, the first cornerriser 172 is a mirror image of the second corner riser 174. A third typeof riser, which is referred to as a tall side riser 176, is centrallylocated along the longer lateral edges of the pallet 10.

A second type of side riser, which is referred to as a short side riser178, is disposed on the widthwise edge of the metal pallet 10. The siderisers 176 and 178 are spaced from the respective corner risers 172 and174 an adequate distance to define forklift receptacles 170. Finally, afifth type of center riser (not visible) is centrally located in thepallet 10. The center riser attaches to the upper deck support board 32and to the lower deck support board 110. As seen in FIG. 1, the cornerand side risers 172,174, 176, and 178 attach to an outer surface thebumpers 80 and 82. Accordingly, when a pallet handling device contacts,i.e. hits the pallet, energy that is transferred to the bumpers 80 and82 can be transferred into the risers 172, 174, 176, and 178 which aretypically made of a heavier gauge material as compared to the deckboards.

With reference to FIG. 9, the second corner riser 174 will be describedin more detail. It should be appreciated that the remaining risers willhave similar configurations in that they will include surfaces to allowthe riser to connect to and support the respective deck boards andbumpers. The corner risers 174 (and each riser) include openings 182 tofacilitate a MIG welding operation between the riser and the componentto which it attaches be it one of the bumpers or one of the deck boardsof the metal pallet. The risers can also include a plurality of ledges184 and notches 186 that are appropriately dimensioned to allow theledge 184 to contact an appropriate surface of a respective deck boardso that the riser can be resistance welded to the respective deck board.It should be appreciated that the ledges 184 can also support loads. Inthe embodiment depicted in FIG. 9, the risers can also include rollededges 188 for added strength and to provide a smooth rounded edge.

The bumper system can take alternative configurations from those thatare shown in FIG. 1. For example, with reference to FIG. 11, analternative embodiment of a length bumper will be described where likenumerals having a primed (′) suffix will correspond to components orportions thereof that are the same or similar to the embodiment depictedin FIG. 3. In FIG. 11, the bumper 280 includes a plurality of tabs 284(only one shown) that are received underneath a respective upper deckboard 30′ (additional deck boards, such as boards 34 shown in FIG. 2 arenot visible in FIG. 11). The length bumper 280 depicted in FIG. 11 alsoincludes a section or portion 298 that extends from a peripheral edge ofthe upper deck assembly 12. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 11, thesection 298 extends in a direction above and generally normal to acontact surface 42′ (this can be similar to contact surfaces 42, 44, 54and 56 depicted in FIG. 2). The section 298, which can be a rolledsection at the top of the profile of the bumper 280, covers the outsideedges of the deck boards 30′. The rolled section 298 can cover and orprotect the exposed edges of the pallet 10′ to lessen the likelihood ofpackages and other items catching the exposed edges and perhaps rippingone of the width boards 30′ off of the upper deck support boards 32′.Such occurrences can happen during the loading and unloading of packagesfrom the pallet 10′. The length bumper is made of a heavier gauge ofmetal than the metal of the deck boards 30′ and upper deck supportboards 32′. This heavier gauge material, combined with the section 298,serve to strengthen the bumper 280.

An alternative configuration for a width bumper will be described inmore detail with reference to FIG. 13. Many of the components are verysimilar to components described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 12. Inthe embodiment depicted in FIG. 13, a width bumper 382 attaches to anoutside upper deck board 330 that, instead of including a boxed end (asshown in FIG. 3), includes a downwardly extending flange 340. The widthbumper 382 includes a connection flange 404 that attaches to anundersurface of the deck board 330 in a similar manner as the widthbumper 82 disclosed in FIG. 3. The width bumper 382, however, does notreceive a boxed end section. Instead, the width bumper includes a boxedend section 400. The additional bends in the bumper profile of the widthbumper 382 can increase the strength of the width bumper as compared tothe width bumper 82 (FIG. 3) not having as many bends. The box-endsection 400 includes an upper ledge 402 that resides in a plane that isgenerally coplanar to a pair of contact surfaces 342 and 344 of theupper deck boards. The upper ledge 402 terminates at a flange 406 sothat a space is provided between the vertical flange 340 and the bumperflange 406. Accordingly, the bumper 382 can accommodate some lateraldeformation before contacting the upper deck board 330.

With respect to FIG. 14, another embodiment of the disclosure is thereillustrated. The embodiment is quite similar to the embodiment of FIG.13. Thus like components are identified by like numerals with a primed(′) suffix, and new components are identified by new numerals. In thisembodiment, a resilient member 420, for example a rubber cushion orsimilar resilient component, can attach to the width bumper 382′. Theresilient member 420 includes an outer portion 424, a top portion 426and an inner portion 428. The inner portion 428 of the resilient, orelastic, member 420 can be sandwiched between the flange 406′ of theupper ledge 402′ and the vertical leg 340′ of the end deck board 330′.This holds the resilient member in place. The resilient member 420 canhelp dissipate energy from contact with the forks of the handlingequipment. An upper surface 430 of the resilient member 420 can residein the same plane as contact surfaces 342′ and 344′ of the width boards330′.

To accomplish this, the upper ledge 402′ resides in a plane that isvertically beneath and generally parallel to a pair of contact surfaces342′ and 344′ of the outside upper deck board 330′. This allows a spacefor a top surface of the top portion 426 of the resilient member 420 toreside in generally the same plane as contact surfaces 342′ and 344′ ofthe outside upper deck board 330′. Different bumper configurations usingdifferent profiles and/or thicknesses of material can be substitutedwithout changing the deck board profile. It is apparent in FIG. 14, thegauge of material from which the bumpers (for example bumper 382′) aremade can be thicker than the gauge of material used for the deck boards.

It is often desirable to wirelessly identify, track and/or provideinformation about the location of pallets or the products held on them.One method of tracking and providing information about items is toattach a wireless communication device such as a radio frequencyidentification (RFID) transponder or other identification device to theitem. Multiple RFID devices, one attached to each of the items on apallet, would then be located on a single pallet. However, communicationcollisions may occur if a pallet contains more than one item with anRFID tag and the communication devices communicate at the samefrequency. Therefore, a better alternative is to provide a single RFIDtag for the pallet itself. While pallets often include more than oneitem, the items may be a plurality of the same type of item having thesame information characteristics, such as date of manufacture, lotnumber or other information that may be communicated via a single RFID.

Therefore, an RFID tag provided on the pallet may be adequate tocommunicate information about all the items held on the pallet.Alternatively, the RFID can communicate information about the palletitself. As is well known, such RFID devices require the use of anantenna. In one embodiment of the present invention, either the entiremetal pallet disclosed herein or some portion thereof, such as one ofthe boards, can be used as the antenna of an RFID device (not shown).This is advantageous in order to eliminate the need for employing aseparate pole antenna or slot antenna with the RFID tag. The RFID can beplaced in a suitable desired location on the pallet to prevent damagethereto. The RFID tag can be secured to the pallet by suitable knownmeans, such as a clip or adhesive. Moreover, the RFID tag can begrounded to a ground plane on the pallet.

Several embodiments of a metal pallet have been described herein.Modifications and alterations will occur to those of average skill inthe art upon reading and understanding of the foregoing detaileddescription. However, the invention is not limited to only theembodiments described above. Instead, the invention is defined by theappended claims and the equivalents thereof.

1. A metal pallet comprising: a first deck subassembly including aplurality of deck boards defining a support surface upon whichassociated items are placed; a first bumper connected to at least one ofthe deck boards along a first peripheral edge of the first decksubassembly, the first bumper including a section extending above thesupport surface; a second bumper connected to at least one of the deckboards along a second peripheral edge of the first deck subassembly, thefirst peripheral edge being oriented approximately normal to the secondperipheral edge; and, a plurality of risers connected to the first decksubassembly for spacing the first deck subassembly above an associatedsurface upon which the pallet rests.
 2. The pallet of claim 1, whereinthe section extends generally normal to the support surface.
 3. Thepallet of claim 1, wherein the section comprises a rolled sectionlocated at a top surface of the first bumper.
 4. The pallet of claim 1,wherein the section extends generally along a longitudinal axis of thefirst bumper.
 5. The pallet of claim 1, wherein the first bumperincludes a tab received under a respective deck board of the pluralityof deck boards and the section is offset from the tab.
 6. The pallet ofclaim 1, wherein the first bumper is oriented generally perpendicular tothe plurality of deck boards that define the support surface.
 7. Thepallet of claim 1, further comprising a second deck subassembly spacedfrom the first deck subassembly and connected to the plurality ofrisers, a lower surface of each of the bumpers being spaced from thesecond deck subassembly so that the forks of a conventional fork liftcan fit between the lower surface of each of the bumpers and the seconddeck subassembly.
 8. A metal pallet comprising: a first deck including aplurality of corrugated members defining a loading surface; a seconddeck spaced from the first deck along a first dimension; a riserconnecting the first deck to the second deck to form a polygonalstructure; and a bumper system connected to a peripheral edge of thepolygonal structure, the bumper system being positioned to allow forentry of forks of an associated fork lift device between the first deckand the second deck on all sides of the polygonal structure and to allowfor selective contact of the associated device with the bumper systemwhen the forks of the associated device are disposed between the decks,the bumper system including a bumper having a section extending abovethe loading surface.
 9. The pallet of claim 8, wherein the bumperincludes a plurality of tabs, at least some of the tabs being configuredto fit between adjacent corrugations.
 10. The pallet of claim 8, whereinthe bumper includes a leg and a flange, the tabs extend generallyperpendicularly from the leg and the flange extends generallyperpendicularly from the leg.
 11. The pallet of claim 10, wherein thetabs are located adjacent an upper edge of the leg and the flange islocated adjacent a lower edge of the flange.
 12. The pallet of claim 11,wherein the section is rolled and formed near the upper edge of the leg.13. The pallet of claim 11, wherein the vertical leg transitions intothe section, which transitions into at least one of the tabs.
 14. Ametal pallet comprising: an upper deck assembly including a plurality ofupper deck boards defining a loading surface and a plurality of upperdeck support boards attached to and located below the upper deck boards,the upper deck support boards being oriented generally perpendicular tothe upper deck boards; a bumper system connected with the upper deckassembly, the bumper system including a first bumper having a sectionthat protrudes upwardly above the loading surface from a periphery ofthe upper deck assembly; and a plurality of risers connected to theupper deck assembly for spacing the upper deck assembly above anassociated surface upon which the pallet rests.
 15. The pallet of claim14, wherein the first bumper is welded to the riser and furthercomprising a lower deck assembly spaced from the upper deck subassemblyand connected to the plurality of risers, a lower surface of each of thebumpers being spaced from the lower deck assembly so that the forks of aconventional fork lift can fit between the lower surface of each of thebumpers and the lower deck assembly.
 16. The pallet of claim 14, whereinthe first bumper includes a plurality of tabs, a leg and a flange, thetabs extend generally perpendicularly from the leg and the flangeextends generally perpendicularly from the leg.
 17. The pallet of claim16, wherein the tabs contact a lower surface of at least one of theupper deck boards, and the flange contacts a lower surface of at leastone of the upper deck support boards.
 18. The pallet of claim 17,wherein the tabs are located adjacent an upper edge of the leg and theflange is located adjacent a lower edge of the leg.
 19. The pallet ofclaim 17, wherein the section is rolled and formed near the upper edgeof the leg.
 20. The pallet of claim 16, wherein the section extendsgenerally normal to the contact surface.